Fugitives (A SuperCorp Fanfiction)

Epilogue

            It wasn't hard for Supergirl to pick Sophia out of the crowd. The little girl leaned against the brick walls of the school entrance, watching groups of kids walk past her. An older boy tried to talk to her, but she only responded with a meek smile. He gave up after a while, and she continued to observe the scene around her. Nobody else stopped to talk to her, though some stole furtive glances and whispered to their friends. By her body language, Supergirl guessed that Sophia preferred it that way.

Every once in a while, the girl would look up at the sky. She'd been doing that for the past month or so, her teachers had reported. At recess, after school, anytime she was outside. She'd get lost in the clouds like that, ever since she awoke from the coma. This time, Supergirl knew what she was searching for.

Supergirl landed by the school's flagpole. Children gasped, some reaching out to touch her cape. A breeze picked up, causing both her cape and the American flag above her to flap in the wind. Between giggles, Kara waved at Sophia to get her attention.

"Hey! Sophia!" she called out, getting the girl to snap back to the present. A huge grin spread across her face, and she hurried down to the flagpole. The arrival of the school bus got most of the crowd to depart. The bus put on its breaks and the doors flung open. The scratched lettering along its sides made Supergirl wonder if she had saved that particular one before. Sophia would have joined the crowd on a normal day, but she didn't need the bus when Kara got off early from work.

"Ready to go?" Supergirl asked her.

"Yeah," the girl breathed, nodding her head. Children stuck their arms out of the cracked bus windows, calling out to the Girl of Steel. She high-fived several outstretched hands as the bus pulled away, laughing all the while. She took the girl's hand, leading her down the sidewalk towards the inner city.

"Are we gonna see Lena, too?" Sophia murmured.

"Of course!" Supergirl reassured her, "She'll meet us at your dad's apartment. Maybe she can help you with your math homework."

~~~

"It should go away over time," Lena's voice could be heard from the front door, "She'll start talking more after she adjusts back to her normal life." Kara was careful when closing the door, guiding Sophia into the apartment.

"I hope so," the deep voice of her father replied, "Her therapy has done wonders, but the doctor says she needs companionship."

"Which is why I brought him," Lena replied, "He's been bred to help kids like Sophie. And Supergirl and I will help as much as we can."

Supergirl could see the figure of Lena sitting on the couch. A sturdy older man was sitting in the chair past the wall, his shirt buttoned up but wrinkled from working all day.

"Thank you," her father breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you visit so often. She really loves it when you guys are here."

Sophia recognized Lena once they turned the corner at the end of the hallway. She ran up to the Luthor, giving her a tight embrace. Lena smiled, wrapping her arms around the little girl. Supergirl leaned against the archway to the hall. The two women made eye contact, and Kara could swear that she could see the light of her old planet's star shining in them. A huge grin spread across her face.

"I've got something for you," Lena let go of Sophia, reaching towards the floor. With her x-ray vision, Supergirl noticed the cage hidden behind the couch. Lena's hands reached for it, opening the metal hatch. Out came the young cat that Supergirl recognized, the mane of black fur around his neck making him look regal. Sophia squealed with excitement, petting the cat as it purred. Her father chuckled at the girl's reaction, looking over at the Kryptonian behind him.

"Where'd you get him?" he asked.

"Oh, Lena and I went to the animal shelter yesterday," Supergirl explained, "He's a certified therapy cat, don't worry."

"Supergirl was insistent on getting this one," Lena laughed, watching the cat snuggle up to the girl. Sophia sat with her legs crossed on the floor, and the cat immediately jumped onto her lap.

"Well, he seems friendly enough," the man pointed out, "I can hear him purring from here." Sophia smiled at her father's comment, gently petting the cat's long black coat.

"What are you going to name him?" Supergirl asked the little girl. Sophia's eyes furrowed, eyes intense as she pondered the question.

"Luthor," the girl decided. Lena's eyebrows raised in surprise. Her father leaned forward into his seat, eyes filled with worry. Supergirl felt a nervous seed sprout in her stomach− it couldn't be good that the girl was associating with Lillian.

"Why Luthor?" Supergirl was careful not to say Lillian's name, "I thought that was scary for you." The girl's eyes fell on the cat, and they observed each other for a moment. Then, her gaze shifted to Lena.

"Lillian was scary," Sophia pointed out, "but Lena's nice. A lot of kids at school say that they're bad, but a Luthor can be friendly, too."

Kara swore she saw tears well up in Lena's eyes. She was too quick for her, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, but the grin on her face made up all the difference. Lena's watch beeped several times, making everyone look to her.

"Shoot, I've got a meeting," she looked up at Kara, "We need to go." As Lena walked over to her, Supergirl could see Sophia's shoulders sag in defeat.

"We'll be back this weekend!" Supergirl insisted, "Maybe we'll go get ice cream, okay? Take care of Luthor!" Sophia smiled when the Kryptonian said the cat's new name. She and Lena waved one last time as they exited the door, both of them looking out over National City from their front balcony.

"What do you make of that?" Kara joked. Lena smiled, taking her hand.

"I don't know," Lena wondered, looking out at the city. She searched the street in front of her, shaking her head, "Dammit. I'm going to be late to the meeting, the chauffeur isn't even here yet."

All that Kara had to do was raise her eyebrows. Lena looked up at her, realizing what it meant.

"No. No," Lena backed away, still clasping Kara's hand, "Don't you dare. You know I don't like flying." Kara started giggling at the way Lena's face contorted at the idea.

"Alright, be late for your meeting," Kara teased, "But if you're interested, your girlfriend is also a pretty great chauffeur." Lena sighed, her eyes intense as she weighed her options.

"I really need to get to that meeting on time."

"I can get you there ten minutes early." There was a pause, both of them refusing to let go of their eye contact. Lena was the first to give in.

"Okay, fine," Lena groaned in defeat. In an instant, Supergirl had the girl in her arms, catapulting each other towards L-Corp. It was a fleeting few seconds in the air, their hair blowing in the wind, Lena's arms wrapped around Kara's shoulders, but it was a moment that she would cherish forever.